title: Neuronal basis of speech comprehension.
abstract: Verbal communication does not rely only on the simple perception of auditory signals. It is rather a parallel and integrative processing of linguistic and non-linguistic information, involving temporal and frontal areas in particular. This review describes the inherent complexity of auditory speech comprehension from a functional-neuroanatomical perspective. The review is divided into two parts. In the first part, structural and functional asymmetry of language relevant structures will be discus. The second part of the review will discuss recent neuroimaging studies, which coherently demonstrate that speech comprehension processes rely on a hierarchical network involving the temporal, parietal, and frontal lobes. Further, the results support the dual-stream model for speech comprehension, with a dorsal stream for auditory-motor integration, and a ventral stream for extracting meaning but also the processing of sentences and narratives. Specific patterns of functional asymmetry between the left and right hemisphere can also be demonstrated. The review article concludes with a discussion on interactions between the dorsal and ventral streams, particularly the involvement of motor related areas in speech perception processes, and outlines some remaining unresolved issues. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Human Auditory Neuroimaging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 91, 5009 Bergen, Norway; Department for Medical Engineering, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway. Electronic address: Karsten.specht@psybp.uib.no.
authors.forename: Karsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Specht
mesh_terms: D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D001306:Auditory Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D032882:Comprehension; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D008960:Models, Psychological; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013065:Speech Intelligibility; D013067:Speech Perception